Al Ain: The UAE Under-23s kick off the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-23 Championship qualifiers against Nepal at the Tahnoun Bin Mohammad Stadium in Al Ain from 6.25pm on Saturday.
It is the first game of a three-match four-team Group D round robin itinerary, which will also see the Whites play Lebanon from 9.15pm on Monday and Uzbekistan from 6.25pm on Wednesday.
A total of 39 teams are in action with nine groups of four and one group of three (Sri Lanka have withdrawn from Group A) playing out in various locations across Asia between July 15 to 23.
The top team from each group will qualify for the AFC Under-23 Championship in China from January 9 to 27 next year. The top five or six runners-up will also progress to the finals, also known as the Under-23 Asian Cup.
Despite qualifying automatically as hosts, China have still opted to compete in Group J of the qualifiers.
If China top their group or finish among the top five runners-up, the sixth best runner-up will also qualify.
The UAE prepared for the qualifiers with friendly wins over Bahrain (3-2) and Tajikistan (2-1) either side of two draws against Saudi Arabia (1-1 and 2-2).
There have only been two editions of the AFC Under-23 Championship, in 2014 and 2016. UAE qualified and made the quarter-finals on both occasions.
